“I don’t think the fans should ever vote is because they just vote for their favorite players,’’ Barkley recently told South Florida’s 104.3 The Ticket WMSF-FM. “I’m a big Kevin Garnett fan. But there’s no way in the world he should be starting the All-Star game right now. And the same way with Dwight Howard.

"Those fans who have penciled those two guys in (to) start… that’s a travesty to be honest. I like Dwight Howard but he ain’t played like no All-Star this year and Kevin Garnett (the same).”

Garnett is averaging 14.6 points and 7.0 rebounds this season, with a PER (18.8) that would be his lowest since 1996-97 and a rebound rate (14.6 percent) that would be his lowest since 1997-98. Yet, as usual for Garnett, individual stats only tell part of the story.

According to Basketball Reference, with Garnett on the floor, the Celtics boast the equivalent of the NBA's third-best defense. With him off the court, they are significantly worse than the league-worst Charlotte Bobcats. Overall, Boston has been 10.9 points per 100 possessions better with Garnett on the court.

The biggest arguments against Garnett's All-Star candidacy are his lack of minutes played (29.2 minutes per game is substantially less than almost any other player his caliber) and the impact his lack of minutes has had (despite outscoring opponents with Garnett on the court, Boston is just 14-17 with a point differential worse than the Toronto Raptors'). But when Garnett plays, he's clearly still one of the league's best defenders and one of its most helpful players.